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15west.org
15 West
@15west.org
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We're a [new] newsroom, by @luckyjefferson.com, dedicated to connecting people mile by mile in neighborhoods west of Chicago. We’re getting news to people of all abilities. More to come...
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One Google search led us to a coffee shop that feels like home.

In part one of our new series, #EatingOurWayHome, we visit #AddisCafe — a West Suburban café where Ethiopian tradition meets community turned family.
From community pop-ups, games, scratch-made waffles to Seattle-roasted espresso, Addis is a space where connection is the main ingredient.

Visit 15west.org to read the full story.
Eating Our Way Home: Addis Cafe
Part one of a series featuring food spaces that feel like home, this cafe thrives at the intersection of Ethiopian tradition and community turned family.
www.15west.org
Owner Kalkidan “Kalki” Tesfaye has created more than a coffee shop; she’s built a living room for the neighborhood, where world music drifts through conversation and coffee is brewed with intention.
One Google search led us to a coffee shop that feels like home.

In part one of our new series, #EatingOurWayHome, we visit #AddisCafe — a West Suburban café where Ethiopian tradition meets community turned family.
“Is there no possible way to finish this work faster?” said Amari M., a commuter who frequents the Austin Station.

Once construction concludes, the station would benefit all residents, regardless of mobility.
Accessibility, at whose expense?

Riders have navigated a detour stemming from @chicagocta.bsky.social’s closure of the Austin station.

The updates are long overdue, but commuters relying on the Green Line have experienced lengthened daily trips since June.

Swipe ⬆️ for the TLDR.
“Is there no possible way to finish this work faster?” said Amari M., a commuter who frequents the Austin Station.

Once construction concludes, the station would benefit all residents, regardless of mobility.
15 West @15west.org · Sep 30
From sixth to eighth grade, students learn the science of growing food and the power of community. “We need food,” shared eighth grader Lucas Prankus, summing it up simply.

With creativity and resourcefulness, they’re redefining urban farming, growing in buckets, pots, and whatever they can find.
15 West @15west.org · Sep 30
Access shouldn’t be a barrier to growing something good.

Six years ago, Sister Sharon Dillon saw only weeds where garden beds should be.

Today, those same beds are thriving—thanks to her science students at Berwyn South 100’s Heritage Middle School.
Forgotten to flourishing: Heritage students transform school garden
Heritage Middle School students are learning that food doesn't just come from grocery stores; it grows from soil, seeds, and hard work in their seven-bed community garden.
www.15west.org
15 West @15west.org · Sep 16
In the first of three parts, her photo essay #WeWereHere explores how Chicago’s West Side communities insist on presence and dignity in the face of displacement, revealing the persistence of life where others see only absence.
15 West @15west.org · Sep 16
Displacement is often described only through the absence of housing, of resources, of security.

“But when I look through the viewfinder, I see something else: the persistence of life,” writes Genesis Falls.
15 West @15west.org · Sep 10
Kicking off on Sept 13 is our FREE 3-week media training!

Learn to decode misinformation, engage critically with media, and publish your own stories on 15West.org.

Attend all 3 sessions to qualify for paid reporting on Chicago’s West Side.

Open to anyone interested in community journalism!
15 West @15west.org · Sep 3
The restaurant has long been known as a welcoming space for everyone in the neighborhood, with many regulars referring to the owner as “Grandma Irma” for her warmth and generosity.

✍🏽: NaBeela Washington (@nabeelawashington.com) & Zoë Takaki

📸: NaBeela Washington

www.15west.org/grandma-irma...
Grandma Irma's Cocina Feeds Everyone
After 36 years as a waitress, Irma Ceballos opened her own Mexican restaurant in Little Village, where family recipes and unconditional hospitality have made her a neighborhood pillar.
www.15west.org
15 West @15west.org · Sep 3
The restaurant has a wide range of customers, from teachers and students from the neighboring school (Little Village Lawndale High School), to warehouse workers, to retired neighbors.

www.15west.org/grandma-irma...
15 West @15west.org · Sep 3
From selling homemade barbacoa from her kitchen to opening her own restaurant, Irma Ceballos has created a neighborhood pillar where family recipes meet unconditional hospitality.
15 West @15west.org · Aug 21
Written by: NaBeela Washington @nabeelawashington.com & Kristian Parker

Art by Kyra Davenport via @luckyjefferson.com
15 West @15west.org · Aug 21
Enough time has passed—let’s talk Summer Smash.

The energy and performances from Lyrical Lemonade’s festival still linger through Chicago’s hip-hop scene.

Head here to read our reflection: www.15west.org/summer-smash...
15 West @15west.org · Aug 1
This data-driven tool was developed with Northwestern's Buffett Institute (buffett.northwestern.edu) and a variety of community partners.

Still, environmental community activists and residents question the city's ability to support those most vulnerable to the effects of a warmer climate.